The Forest Fire Fighting Campaign (AIB) 2023, which began on June 15th. This year too, the AIB campaign saw flight crews from the Armed Forces on the front line fighting fires. For operations to combat the phenomenon, the Defense has ensured 11 rotary-wing aircraft and given the availability of the military airports of Naples Capodichino, Trapani Birgi and Sigonella (CT).
During the 2023 campaign, military aircraft contributed to the extinguishing of numerous fires that developed throughout the national territory, carrying out over 208 hours of flight, in approximately 128 outings and dropping thousands of liters of extinguishing liquid on the flames.
The Italian Armed Forces participated in the campaign with a total of eleven helicopters with their flight crew: six are from the Army Aviation, one HH-412A and one HH-205A in readiness at the Viterbo base, two HH-412A ready for take-off in Cagliari Elmas and Lamezia Terme and 2 UH-90A from Rimini and Casarsa della Delizia (PN). Added to these are an AB-212 of the Navy, in Catania, two HH-139s of the Air Force in readiness at the Trapani Birgi and Decimomannu airports and two NH 500s of the Carabinieri in readiness at the Carabinieri Units of Rome-Urbe and Rieti.
The use of the Armed Forces fleet for the AIB 2023 Campaign was the responsibility of the Unified Air Operations Center (COAU) of the Department of Civil Protection, in close coordination with the Joint Forces Summit Operational Command (COVI).
The AIB Campaign is a particularly demanding and risky activity due to the extreme conditions in which the crews find themselves operating. The AIB Campaign demonstrates, once again, that in the face of emergencies, the Armed Forces are able to make their assets, technologies and means available to the national community, created for specific military needs, but which can also be profitably used to deal with effectively needs of a civil nature, operating in close synergy and in support of the various State Agencies and Bodies.
